Exhaust systems include exhaust sensors positioned to monitor the exhaust gases of the exhaust system. The exhaust sensors are typically associated with a controller comprising microelectronics in order to provide signals and/or commands to components of the exhaust system. Exhaust sensors commonly employ a plurality of wires which comprise a wire harness for operation of the exhaust sensor. The wires of the wire harness can be held together with tape, a sheath, or clips.
Some exhaust sensors require a compensation resistor to be associated with the exhaust sensor and the electronics of the exhaust system in order to provide signals to the controller of the exhaust system in order to compensate for part-to-part variability in the sensor itself. See for example US Patent Application Publication number 2007/0146114 which is commonly assigned and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one arrangement, a trim resister is used to provide this compensation. In this solution, a laser is used to remove portions of a resistive film comprising the resistive path by removing portions of the resistive surface until the desired resistance is achieved. In the past, the trim resistor has been placed in a connector of the exhaust sensor which is used to connect the exhaust sensor to the rest of the sensor system. While this location may be effective, the connector must be custom designed which makes switching to a different connector difficult. In the past, the trim resistor has also been encapsulated and mounted to the connector via a metal bracket and covered by a flexible plastic boot. This approach may be size intensive and costly to implement.
In order for vehicles to comply with emission regulations, it is important that automotive devices such as sensors, actuators, and controllers used by the vehicle emission control system are authentic. That is, that the devices meet original-equipment-manufacturer (OEM) performance and quality specifications, and are not unauthorized copies, sometimes referred to as black-market automotive parts, parts that may not meet OEM specifications. It has been suggested that identification codes be stored in an electronic device which communicates the identification codes to engine controller. See for example U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,520 which is commonly assigned and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The electronic device storing the identification codes may be packaged in a way similar to the packaging of the trim resistor as described above.
What is needed is a device both retains the wires of a wire harness as well as packages an electronic device.